Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 03 Feb 2015 04:20:21 PST
American Academy of Pediatrics Calls For Rescheduling Cannabis
Washington, DC: An updated policy statement issued this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls for federally rescheduling cannabis in order to better facilitate clinical trial research and to promote its pharmaceutical development.
The new position statement resolves: "The AAP strongly supports research and development of pharmaceutical cannabinoids and supports a review of policies promoting research on the medical use of these compounds. The AAP recommends changing marijuana from a Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule I (controlled substance) to a Schedule II drug to facilitate this (clinical) research."
By definition, Schedule I controlled substances are defined as possessing no "accepted medical use." Clinical protocols involving cannabis are strictly controlled and require authorization from various federal agencies, including DEA, FDA, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) - the latter of which is designated under federal law as the sole provider of cannabis and/or organic cannabinoids for research purposes.
"A Schedule I listing means there's no medical use or helpful indications, but we know that's not true because there has been limited evidence showing [marijuana] may be helpful for certain conditions in adults," said Dr. Seth Ammerman, who co-authored the amended policy statement.
The updated AAP resolution also acknowledges that certain types of cannabinoid-therapy may provide benefits to adolescents, particularly those with treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy and chronic seizures. It states, "The AAP recognizes that marijuana may currently be an option for cannabinoid administration for children with life-limiting or severely debilitating conditions and for whom current therapies are inadequate."
Last year the Epilepsy Foundation of America issued a similar resolution, citing preclinical data and observational reports of the potential therapeutic benefit of the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) in pediatric patients and calling for "an end to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) restrictions that limit clinical trials and research into medical marijuana for epilepsy."
Separate language in the AAP's position statement also addresses the social use of the plant, affirming, "AAP strongly supports the decriminalization of marijuana use for both minors and young adults and encourages pediatricians to advocate for laws that prevent harsh criminal penalties for possession or use of marijuana." By contrast, the statement acknowledges the group's continued opposition to the legalization of marijuana, a policy change that it alleges poses "potential harm to children."
Full text of the Academy's policy statement is available @ https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/01/20/peds.2014-4146.full.pdf+html
President Obama: Says He Expects More US States To Regulate Cannabis Commerce
Washington, DC: President Barack Obama anticipates that additional states will soon approve measures legalizing and regulating marijuana use and commerce by adults.
"What you're seeing now is Colorado [and] Washington, through state referenda, they're experimenting with legal marijuana," the President stated. "The position of my administration has been that we still have federal laws that classify marijuana as an illegal substance, but we're not going to spend a lot of resources trying to turn back decisions that have been made at the state level on this issue. My suspicion is that you're [going to] see other states start looking at this."
President Obama made his remarks in a YouTube interview last Thursday.
In December, the President signed spending legislation barring the Justice Department from interfering in the implementation of state-approved medical marijuana distribution programs. The administration had previously issued memorandums to US Attorneys in all 50 states urging them not to interfere with state-sanctioned cannabis
Michigan: Voters Prefer Regulating Marijuana To Increase Tax Revenue
Flint, MI: The majority of Michigan voters prefer regulating and taxing marijuana commerce to pay for roads and schools as opposed to raising the state's sales tax one percent, according to polling data released last week by Survey USA.
Sixty-four percent of respondents endorsed regulating cannabis like alcohol in order to raise state tax revenue. By comparison, only 43 percent of respondents favored raising the state's sales tax to pay for necessary road and school construction.
"Voters are suspicious of more taxes imposed upon the general population," said Tim Beck, Chair of the Safer Michigan Coalition, which coordinated a series of municipal marijuana legalization measures this past November. "There are other, more creative ways to generate revenue to fund roads and schools. Regulation and taxation of marijuana is an alternative voters seem to prefer."
The Survey USA poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.
More information @ https://safermichigancoalition.com
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